Darkness
by TheBestLaidPlans
Summary: Set after KH II. Riku and Sora are finally home. Riku wants to be more than just best friends with Sora, but they already have so much to deal with... and he's just not sure how to tell him. SoRiku, possible lemon.


_Sora was reaching out toward Riku while the darkness threatened to take him away, the words forming in his throat before he could stop them: 'I LOVE YOU!!' _

"_I lo--"Then the darkness swallowed him and Riku was gone._

Sora woke up sweating. He'd been having lots of dreams about losing Riku lately. He was tired of being afraid of losing him again. All he wanted was to be with him every minute of every day. But he would never tell him this, he couldn't. Maybe before he could have, but not now. Everything had changed so much since then.

They were gone for a couple years and even if you knew them before, after you would not recognize the people they became. Some of the changes were noticeable, like how physically, Sora and Riku could beat out anyone in their school but he guessed that was what happened when you fought for you life everyday. Other changes could only be told by a few select people, like how Riku was just as cocky to the visible eye but when you watched him you could see the self-loathing he carried with him every day. How Sora acted just as bubbly as before, but then if you knew, you could see the loss of some of his naivety. Kairi was way more withdrawn than before. Again, she seemed the same, but Sora could see something off.

Both Sora and Kairi were trying to deal with Roxas and Namine, and Riku didn't know how to help. Sora thought it was probably wishful thinking when it seemed that Riku was almost jealous of Sora talking to his nobody inside his mind.

Suddenly, what sounded like a rock hitting his window pulled Sora from his thoughts.

"What the fuck was that?" Sora thought. The sound repeated itself and Sora came to the realization that maybe it was indeed a rock hitting his window. He quickly got out of bed, wearing only his checkered boxers that he'd bought on some unknown impulse. He looked out his window to see Riku wolfishly grinning up at him.

"Come out," Riku called up.

" It's almost 3 in the morning!" Sora replied but inside he was so happy Riku was there. Roxas was obviously asleep because he hadn't made a nasty comment... yet.

So Sora jumped out his window, landing not-so-gracefully on top of Riku, causing them both to laugh. Although Sora was glad that it was dark outside so Riku couldn't see him blush furiously.

"Wanna go to the island?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, sure," Sora said, almost immediately flooded with memories of the past year and how everything started in the first place... How he had gone to the island to check on the raft... Met Riku there and then he had gotten sucked into the darkness, Kairi nowhere to be found. Sora had been so afraid as his entire world had dissipated, literally.

But back to the present: Sora had now jumped out his window and he and Riku were walking to the place where they last left their boats. Their hands were so close Sora could feel the heat coming off the other boy. He wanted so badly to just reach out for him... but he couldn't. What if Riku turned him down? They had just started to repair their friendship and get it back to as normal as it could be.

"Sorry, for waking you. Couldn't sleep," Riku admitted.

"S'ok , I was just up thinking. I woke up from a dream a while ago," Sora said, blushing as he thought of what the dream was about.

"Oh yeah? What'cha dreaming about?" Riku asked as they neared the boat.

"The night we left," Sora admitted, after thinking for a second.

Riku was silent for a moment, pondering what to say to the other boy. He wished things were easier nowadays with Sora. He wished he could tell him how he had felt for years and years. Riku knew though that Sora could never fall for someone like him... Knew he would never be good enough, that he had ruined his chances the last few years, knew that, just his luck, Sora wasn't even gay. He even thought of just risking it all and telling him now as he rowed his boat under the clear night sky and the full moon. He looked at the other boy, laying back with his head on the back of Riku's small row boat. Bright blue eyes, open and amazed by the night sky. There was so much to Sora. He could always tell how Sora felt through those beautiful eyes; he always looked so happy, but if you really looked at those eyes, you would know. Riku knew. He wished every day that he knew how to take all Sora's pain and worries away. He wished he could hold him and kiss away the mysterious hurt he could see sometimes through those eyes. Just like now, laying so calm in front of him, fake smile gone, just Sora, beautiful Sora.

It took everything in him not to jump him right now. He opted for a more friend-like thing to do and rocked the boat.

Sora yelped. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!!!" he exclaimed.

Riku was laughing too hard to respond so Sora dunked him, which quickly turned into a underwater wrestling match. No one was really winning, but how could they? When they finally calmed down they realized that Riku's boat had drifted to shore.

"Crap," Riku yelped.

"Race you to the island!!" Sora yelled even as he started to swim away....

Riku won. He always did, much to Sora's dismay.

"Ha, not even close," Riku shouted, playing around with Sora.

"You'll see! One day I'll beat you at something Riku!!" Sora said, completely serious. Which caused Riku to laugh even more as he watch the boy he would always love plop on the sand exhausted from the swim.

Riku walked slowly to where the younger boy was laying and got down beside him. Sora was already almost asleep, so Riku, heart pounding out of his chest, reached for Sora and pulled him on to his chest. Riku fell into the best sleep he ever had, holding Sora that night.


End file.
